Editor's note: Some names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the mothers, who spoke on condition of anonymity. As Russian forces advanced on a city in eastern Ukraine this spring, not everyone followed the evacuation orders. Mariia, mother of a two-year-old daughter, hesitated, wary of the uncertainty that comes with displacement. Mariia’s family had already fled once before in 2022 at the start of the full-scale invasion, only for a lack of support to drive her famil

The bureau said that further details would be published later.

The man arrested was a Ukrainian identified by German authorities only as "Vladimir Z.," who the German public prosecutor's office describes as a trained diver who "participated in the necessary dives."

As part of the exchange, Ukraine handed 103 Russian service members back to Russia, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.

Sybiha's reappointment was supported by 266 lawmakers, with 14 abstaining and none voting against it.

In the final parliament vote, Khmara's nomination was confirmed by 312 lawmakers.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) is searching Mudra's premises, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 19.

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"They are reforms designed to protect citizens, reinforce trust, and make your country more resilient," Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said.

Beyond Kherson Oblast, Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 65 drones overnight on Aug. 19, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

The IBU's decision to uphold the ban sets biathlon apart from a wide range of sports that have since followed the IOC's lead by allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete once again.

The figure includes 1,190 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Ukrainian drones targeted Russia's Tula and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts overnight on Aug. 19, monitoring channels reported.

Russia is supplying Iran with ammunition, drone components, and TNT via the Caspian Sea, NBC News reported Aug. 17, citing a European government document.

Russia attacked one of Ukraine's DTEK thermal power plants on Aug. 18, severely damaging equipment and forcing the facility to halt electricity generation, the company reported.

Democracy is "part of what we are fighting for today," Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 18 that Ukraine and Belgium are working toward a "Drone Deal" as the two countries seek to expand defense cooperation and strengthen Ukraine's protection against Russian attacks.

The Russian-installed administration at the plant told the IAEA that 16 staff members and subcontractors were injured in the blast.

Despite increasingly stringent sanctions on Moscow, countries worldwide continue to import Russian fossil fuels. The flexibility and transportability of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are particularly significant, helping sustain the flow of energy revenues into the Kremlin's coffers. In July 2026, Belgium stood out for sourcing 100% of its LNG imports from Russia, mere months before a full EU ban on LNG imports comes into force. But if countries won't wean themselves off their addiction, how muc

Key developments on Aug. 18: * Zelensky formally taps Khmara as defense minister, ruling out Fedorov's return * Ukraine launches hundreds of drones towards Moscow in latest large-scale attack, reportedly damaging Wildberries warehouse * Russia threatens UK over supplying drones to Ukraine * Ghana asks Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens for war in Ukraine * SBU detains alleged Russian agent accused of registering Starlink terminals for Russian troops President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug

At around 7:45 p.m. local time, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said debris from Russian drones had been reported at two locations in the Dniprovskyi district.

"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," the Russian Embassy to the U.K. said.

Arsen Zhumadilov, the director of the Defense Ministry's Defense Procurement Agency, is set to resign in the coming weeks, the Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported, citing its sources.

When we started this series in the spring, the idea was simple: every month, to take apart the five most notable Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia and see how Russians themselves are living through them. This is the third installment — and the format had to change substantially. In July, the five "most significant" strikes had already been racked up by around the middle of the month, and the list of noteworthy ones kept growing. So this time there is no strict ranking: first, briefly, about t

"The risks we identified at the time have not miraculously vanished. But we have no fundamental objection to this money being used to support the Ukrainian cause," said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

A court in St. Petersburg has issued the city's first fine to a local resident over a video posted online following a Ukrainian drone attack on the city

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that at least 180 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow Oblast during the attack, with over 600 claimed to have been launched at the region.

Zelensky also nominated Andrii Sybiha to again take up the post of foreign minister.

In response to Russia's full-scale invasion, PepsiCo announced it would suspend production and sales in Russia in March 2022 — and yet, last year it still paid $237 million in income tax to the Russian state. PepsiCo, one of the largest food and drink producers in the world, remains Russia's fourth-largest foreign business — with 60,000 workers and 19 factories still producing Pepsi Cola for Russian shelves under new names, Lyubimaya Cola and Evervess Cola. That continued presence means more m

The Stuttgart court sentenced the man to one year and three months in prison, but ruled that his pre-trial detention would count toward the sentence, meaning he will now be released.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a suspected Russian agent in Kharkiv Oblast who allegedly registered 27 Starlink terminals in the front-line city of Izium to coordinate Russian troops and drone strikes.

"Along with him, Ukraine has brought back a part of itself: its memory, its Ukrainian experience, and our national history — the history of all those who, at different times, lived and fought for Ukraine, for our independence, and for our sovereign state," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.